All In It's Own Time
by NikkiSue
Summary: This story follows the lives of four students at Hogwarts, each from a different house and each life intertwined. Eliza, the transfer from Durmstrang Franklin the romantic Ravenclaw and his girlfriend, Michaela, the shy Hufflepuff. Suzanne, the heartbrok
1. Chapter 1

As we all know, JKR owns the HP characters but anyone you don't recognize belong to me. Each is based on someone I know so their personalities are each unique. This is my first original story so we'll see how it goes.

Franklin Boletta walked through the busy streets of Diagon Alley one warm summer afternoon. Weaving with ease through the small groups of witches and wizards conglomerated along the sidewalk, Franklin — or Frankie as he was referred to by friends and family — made his way to a particular destination. His eyes gleamed with hope as he pictured her long honey colored hair and the way she smelled of berry. Oh, how he loved the times they were able to spend together during the holidays!

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Frankie had received an owl from his girlfriend of one year earlier that morning. He was sitting in the family room of his childhood home doing some summer reading for his Charms class. (per his mother's demands — "He mustn't waste the summer being lazy!") There was a soft tapping at the window which he had learned long ago to recognize. The owl was a light gray color with honey colored feathers mixed in to add color. It was the perfect owl for his beautiful girlfriend, Michaela. Like his Love, the owl was very gentle and somewhat shy. Frankie got up and, ever so slowly, approached the owl that was still waiting beyond the glass window pane. He carefully unhooked the latch and opened the window. The owl took a few seconds to approach the boy and nuzzled with Frankie's hand as his feathers were being rubbed. Looking down at the owl's leg, Frankie smiled when he recognized the envelope. It was a lovely grayish purple color — elegant without being too fancy. It was as if the color was made with her in mind. The simple lettering on the note gave him the news he was waiting to hear:

_Franklin — _

My mum and I are going to be in Diagon Alley this morning and well into the afternoon. I would love to see you if you can get away for a bit — say around noon? Let me know with a note sent back using Starlight straight away. I miss you, love.

- Michaela

Frankie scribbled his affirmation on the backside of the note and kissed the owl's head.

"You're such a sweet owl, Star," he mused as she flew away.

Closing the window, he checked to see what time it was on their large grandfather clock in the hallway.

10:30. Plenty of time to get ready.

For good measure, he even finished his Charms essay so his mother would not have reason not to allow him the use of the Floo network.

Frankie jogged upstairs, skipping every other step and grabbed some clean clothes from his bedroom. It had been almost a month since he had seen her so he picked out an outfit she had given to him for their birthday that past March. Her birthday fell on the same day as his so they made a day of it and she insisted on taking him shopping to pick out an outfit; nothing too fancy, just something new. They settled on a simple button down cotton shirt in a classic black and a pair of black pants of his choosing. (She liked it when he wore all black. She would tell him it gave him a mysterious and sexy look.)

Fifteen minutes later and with a clean shave (no razor cuts to heal), he was ready to go. It was not quite eleven yet so he decided to find her a nice bouquet of flowers from his mother's garden in the back although Frankie did not think she would let him willingly pick the flowers. When she saw how nicely he cleaned himself up, she took pity on him and shooed him out the door.

"Just don't be sloppy in how you cut them, dear. I plan on winning first place in the floral pageant this year while you are away at school. If I don't, how do you think we'll pay your tuition?" she teased. She watched as her son carefully picked out a nice array of colorful flowers and commended him on his choices when he returned inside the house.

"Send her my love, dear. I do miss seeing her around. It's a pity her family move, especially after what happened recently with that young McDugall boy and his family…"  
His mother seemed to ponder her last statement before she moved to kiss his cheek and hand over the jar of Floo powder. She was a little shocked she he ducked the affections. Frowning, she said, "Why ever are you avoiding me, Franklin? Feel you're too old to be getting a kiss from your mum?"

Frankie blushed and shook his head, apologizing profusely. "No, I'm sorry. I just noticed that you are wearing a fresh coat of lipstick and it is always so difficult to get it off of my cheek when you wear the red shade." He seemed almost embarrassed at his reasoning but she just smiled.

"Fine, a hug it is, then." And she gave him a bone-crushing squeeze that almost left him loosening his collar had a few buttons not been already undone.

"Okay, I'll be back in time for dinner, I promise. Bye, mum," Frankie said to her as he wrenched his way out of her grasp and walked into the fireplace. Grabbing a handful of floo powder, he winked at his mother as he called out, "Diagon Alley!" and with a poof of green flames, he was gone.

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Eliza was sitting at a small table on the outskirts of Diagon Alley eating the ice cream she had purchased for herself. She had only been in the London area for a few weeks but she felt like she knew Diagon Alley like the back of her hand. Eliza had recently transferred from Durmstrang Institute after a few too many run-ins with some particularly dark wizards and she was, on this day, walking the now familiar streets trying to scope out potential schoolmates. She felt as if she was a fairly good judge of character and thought that if she could make some friends — or at the very least some acquaintances — maybe school won't be so awkward come September first.

Eliza had the run of her house for the most part. Her mother and uncle were busy trying to make ends meet in their jobs at the Ministry. Her father had passed away when she was small, leaving her uncle to be her only male role model. Her mother was a healer and her uncle worked in the Department of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, a position he took after Arthur Weasley was promoted elsewhere. He did not love his job as much as Arthur did but it was a job nonetheless and it helped pay the bills.

The first person she came across in her day of people watching was a very pretty girl who looked to be somewhere around her age standing against the wall of Florish and Blotts. Intrigued, Eliza threw caution to the wind and crossed the street, ice cream still in hand. She approached the girl and their eyes met. Seeing her confusion, Eliza quickly began talking to the stranger.

"Are you, by any chance a Hogwarts student?" the new girl asked, trying to make her purpose known sooner rather than later.

The girl looked around as if she thought it was some sort of joke and nodded, "Yeah. I'm in Hufflepuff, you?"

Relieved that this person was willing to have a conversation with her, Eliza shrugged her answer. "I don't know what it is that you are referring to. I am a new student this year, transferring from Durmstrang. All I know is where to be on September the first!"

Upon saying the word "Durmstrang", Eliza saw the other girl's face fall with a look of apprehension. She understood why and had been afraid that being honest about where she had come from might result in losing potential friends but was proven wrong when the girl extended her hand.

"Michaela Conner. It's a pleasure to meet someone new."

Eliza, taken a bit by surprise, quickly reached out to grasp the hand in front of her. "Eliza Wickerson."

Michaela glanced in the direction of the large clock and the action did not go by unnoticed by her new acquaintance. "I'm sorry, am I keeping you from something?"

Blushing, the Hufflepuff girl quickly shook her head. "Oh, no. You see, I am supposed to meet my boyfriend at noon. I was just checking to see how much time I had left before he gets here. I finished my shopping a bit earlier than planned so I have a little more free time than expected. I'm just excited, that's all."

Eliza understood. "Does he go to Hogwarts as well?"

Michaela nodded, "Yes. We are both sixth year students this year but he is in Ravenclaw, which is another house at the school.

The new girl looked confused, "House? Do we live in separate units?"

"In a way, yes, we do." Michaela explained. "You see, there are four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. On your first day you will be sorted into your new house and you remain there for the duration of your schooling. You eat with them, sleep with them and take classes with them. Most classes will have two houses at a time in them so you may be taking Charms with Slytherin and Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. Every year is different and that's one thing that makes it kind of like an adventure."

Eliza seemed relieved yet worried at this new influx of information presented to her. "Does everyone get along?" she asked with a note of apprehension in her voice.

"Well…" Michaela looked thoughtful for a moment as if she were choosing her words carefully, "There will always be some sort of friction because not everyone can get along all of the time as I'm sure you can imagine." With an apprehensive pause, she continued, "I will tell you that the Slytherin house has a pretty nasty track record of students with mean streaks. I'm sure not all of them are that way, "she held her hands up defensively in front of her "but that has been my experience so far."

Understanding what was being said, Eliza commented, "Well, if I get sorted into Slytherin, I promise not to be mean. I left Durmstrang because I was treated poorly by those students who thought they were better than others. They didn't like me because I made decent grades and refused to help them cheat. I had more hexes placed on me when my back was turned than I could care to count! My mum pulled me out at the end of the last term and we packed up and headed here. I live just outside of Hogsmeade."

Michaela seemed impressed and was unable to suppress a smile. "I'm willing to bet they put you in Ravenclaw. Possibly Gryffindor, but I am thinking Ravenclaw." Noticing the time, she gasped.

"It's about time for your rendezvous, isn't it?" Eliza commented. Seeing the other girl nod with her attention now on every face that walked by, she laughed.

"I'll be seeing you September first, then."

Coming out of her daze, Michaela jumped. "Oh, yes! Sorry. He's just such a slippery little bugger. I was worried he was going to sneak up on me, that's all."

Eliza pretended to ignore the attractive looking boy who was slowly and quietly trying to approach Michaela from behind. She understood his pleading looks that asked not to hint his arrival and thought it would be most amusing to follow along. A few seconds later and…

"I GOTCHA!" mocked Frankie as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, exposing the flowers to her as well. She screamed both in fright as well as glee and she turned around promptly. Giving each other a brief glance, he grabbed her again and spun her around.

Feeling like the third wheel, Eliza backed away. "I'll be going now. You two have fun." Michaela quickly turned to her new friend and stuttered in embarrassment, "Oh, I'm sorry Eliza. Let me introduce you."

Frankie pulled his nose out of his girlfriend's hair to give proper attention to the introduction.

"Eliza, this is Franklin. Love, this is Eliza. She is a transfer from Durmstrang. Isn't that exciting?"

Frankie liked to meet new people and eagerly extended his hand to her. "Feel free to call me Frankie. I have found lately that it's pretty much just this one here and my mum who refer to me by my whole name. And Durmstrang, huh? I'll have to hear your story later!"

Eliza blushed and shook his hand briefly. "It's a pleasure meeting both of you. I feel better knowing that I will know at least two people when school starts! I'll see you on the train."

The three of them bade their goodbyes and Eliza walked in the direction of her home.

"Well… that went a lot smoother than I thought it would," she thought out loud.


	2. Chapter 2

I hope I did Fred and George (well, mostly Fred) justice in how I wrote the chapter. This chapter gives a bit of a background of a different sort. I hope you enjoy it, or at least pretend to. If you do, leave a review! If you don't, leave a gentle review! I'm open to just about anything at this point. Oh and thanks to Jessie for beta-ing this, hehehe.

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Suzanne Howard watched as the two teenagers across the street held each other. She stood inside of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes watching the couple from the other side of the window. She sighed as she observed the affections being passed and suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

Earlier that summer, her boyfriend Matthew had been the victim of an attack by Death Eaters. His entire family was eliminated in one evening, save for his infant sister. Matthew's mother had heard the attack begin and before the masked wizards made their way upstairs to the children's rooms she placed the sleeping infant in a closet which contained a loose wall panel. Securing the baby in her bouncy chair, she charmed her baby doll to play soothing music in hope that the child would stay in her peaceful slumber. His mother had just stood from facing the closet door and as she turned around she was greeted with a green light emitted from the Death Eater's wand.

Suzanne knew something was wrong when Matthew did not send her an owl post or contact her on her birthday. Halfway through that day, she had taken it upon herself to walk to his house and give him a piece of her mind.

_"That boy has some nerve forgetting my seventeenth birthday!"_ she thought as she stormed her way up the front porch steps.

At the same time that she raised her hand to knock on the mahogany door, the sound of three people Apparating behind her got her attention. She reached for her wand expecting the worst and spun to greet her attackers with the first spell she could think of.

_"Expell…"_

She was not fast enough for the Aurors who had appeared alongside her. They disarmed her faster than she could say "stop" and for the next ten minutes asked her about who she was and her business on that day.

_"What is your name?" _

"How did you know the family which resided here?"

"Where were you last night at one in the morning?"

Once she was finally able to understand that they were not there to harm the family, she began to ask questions of her own.

_"What business do you have sneaking up on people like that?" _

"Why didn't you just approach me like a civil human being?"

Suzanne stopped and thought back to what they had asked her and a sudden realization dawned upon her. All colour left her face.

"Why are you referring to my boyfriend's family in the _past_ tense?"

As she studied the Aurors faces, the events of the night they were inquiring about fell into place. She took a final glance at them and everything went black.

She awoke at St. Mungo's several hours later. Her family was there, as were her Hogwarts friends. They spoke softly with her and treated her as if she were a fragile china doll. Once she was sent home a day later, she stayed locked up in her room, sitting on her bed staring at old pictures of Matthew. They had known each other since they were infants, as her father and his had also grown up together. Matthew and Suzanne knew everything there was to know about the other and they were known to finish each other's sentences at school. Their close friends knew of their plans to get married after leaving Hogwarts and argued over who would be the best man and maid of honor. It was a tight-knit group and the attack left a huge hole that could never be filled.

She was brought back to reality when she was pushed into the Pygmy Puff display by someone passing from behind. Not caring who it was, she ignored it but seconds later felt someone tapping her shoulder gently but firmly. She turned around slowly taking her time to meet the person's gaze.

"I'm really sorry - are you alright? I thought I hit you pretty hard there when I tripped."

A tall lanky looking young man stood looking down at her laughing with an apologetic look on his face. Glancing at the badge on his apron, she found his name to be Fred. Behind him stood his mirror image brother whose name badge read _George_. Plagued with temporary confusion, she looked back and forth between the two boys. Fred smirked.

"Don't mind that nutcase; that's George." Fred said, rolling his eyes.

Nodding and almost forgetting her despair, Suzanne asked, "Twins?"

George whispered loud enough for Suzanne to hear, "Oooh, don't lose sight of that one, Fred. She catches on fast!" Fred responded with a quick elbow to the ribs and gave a dramatic bow, "Fred and George Weasley at your service. My goofball of a brother was the one to push me into you. He wanted me to tell you that everything is on the house for you today as an apology for his clumsiness."

"I said no such thing!" a voice called out from the other side of the shop as George had moved on to help other customers by that point.

As if she had suddenly realized what was just said, she gasped, "Oh, you're the Weasleys of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"

Fred nodded slowly, amused at her delay. "Yeah, we are. Who might you be?" He crossed his arms in front of him in a sarcastic expectant manner.

Placing a few strands of long blond hair behind her ear, she cleared her throat. "Suzanne Howard. Sorry I don't have any funny anecdotes to go along with that." she shrugged in a defeated way.

Fred placed a finger on his lower lip and seemed to be pondering something. "Suzanne Howard… Howard… why does that name sound familiar. I remember my sister-in-law mentioning it."

Suzanne asked, intrigued, "Well, who is your sister-in-law?"

Looking at her, Fred pulled himself back to reality, "Oh, Penelope Clearwater. She married my brother, Percy but kept her last name. She is a Healer at St. Mungo's."

As a look of understanding came across Suzanne's face, she felt tears stinging at the edges of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she tried to answer as normally as possible, "Yeah, I know her. She helped me this summer when I was a patient there after the accident."

Curious, Fred began to ask, "Accident? Are you alr… oh, hold on… Suzanne _Howard_. Oh, damn, I feel like such an insensitive prat."

He hung his head low as a realization of why she had been at St. Mungo's dawned upon him. The news of the accident had traveled fast and it did not take long to be mentioned in the Daily Prophet. Since she was found at the scene of the crime, her name was splattered across the headlines. Once people realized who she was in relation to the family, it was even bigger news. It was because of the media attention that she had not been to Diagon Alley until this day.

"It's perfectly fine, Fred. Don't fuss over me. I'd just like to have one semi-normal day before school starts next week. I needed to get out for some air before my family drove me nutters. I might say," she added, "that ever since my uncle took over your father's job at the ministry, I have heard plenty of stories about the Weasley brood. That being said, I am fairly certain that you can understand a little something about needed to get away from nosey family members."

It was the first time she had smiled in weeks. It was faint but it was a smile. Laughing slightly, Fred agreed. "Yeah, I may know a little something about irritating family members sticking their noses in things…"

"Hey! I resemble that remark."

Fred's youngest brother popped his head around the corner of the shelf he was standing next to.

"Take my baby brother Ron, for example." Fred deadpanned. Shoving Ron back to the shelf where he had come from, Fred focused his attention back on the girl in front of him.

"Look," he said, "I'd like to make this up to you… running into you and such. Can I get you a coffee or something?"

Suzanne had a look of horror on her face. _'A date? After what has happened this summer, he is asking me out on a date? The nerve of some people.'_ As she began to open her mouth to deliver Fred the tongue lashing of his life, he saved himself.

"I just want to clarify; I am not asking you out on a date or anything of the such. That would be cold-hearted and rude. I was a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin."

The last comment made Suzanne give a half cough, half laugh. She looked up and gave a real smile to the red-headed boy in front of her. She sighed, "I suppose one can never have too many friends, huh?"

Satisfied with her answer, he said, "My sentiments exactly, my dear. Why don't you stop by here in, say, an hour? I will get out of here around then since George is closing for me tonight." Fred offered.

"I am not!" came a voice from a few aisles over.

"Yes you are, George." mocked Suzanne. She gave a guilty shrug but smiled at him and turned to see his brother's reaction

Fred almost fell into the shelf he was leaning on and mocked her in return, "Oh, and she has cheek too? I will most definitely be keeping an eye on you. I've got to respect that about a person." Fred was wringing his hands together in excitement. "Seriously, though. Anything you want today is on the house. Only one other person has that privilege and that is our business partner."

Suzanne thanked Fred for everything and took advantage of his offer by picking up some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and some Canary Creams that she promised to "use wisely" at school.

An hour later she met Fred outside the door of the shop. He approached her carrying a pink box. When she opened it she was greeted by a Pygmy Puff's beady eyes staring up at her.

"She wouldn't stop asking for you after you left so I had to get her for you… Please take her now before George and I go crazy and pull our hair out." the twin joked handing her the box.

The two new friends spent the next two hours eating, drinking butterbeers and talking about absolutely nothing of importance which suited Suzanne just fine. He insisted on walking her to her house. As Fred was leaving she promised to return to the shop during their Hogsmeade trips. Once she was safely inside, he Apparated home.

Fred was not looking forward to whatever was waiting for him at the Burrow. He walked towards the door to his home prepared to have the mickey taken out of him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Loved Ones and Nosy Relatives

Frankie and Michaela walked down the busy streets of Diagon Alley after they watched Eliza leave. Frankie casually laced his fingers with his girlfriend's as she leaned her head on his shoulder. A sense of calm overcame the two of them and they walked in a comfortable silence for a while. Upon reaching the stationary shop, Michaela became giddy and dragged her boyfriend inside.

She seemed to know where she was walking and within seconds, she was facing a table containing several hundred shades of paper for letter writing.

"Hmm…" she thought, "Which colour should I choose this time?

Frankie stroked his chin as he looked over the assortment of colours. "So this is your secret stash, huh?" When she giggled, he added, "I don't know. I am quite fond of the colour you are using now. It's light and wispy, gentle like you."

Michaela seemed to ponder what he had just said. He was surprised when she dropped his hand and turned to look at him with a gleam in her eyes.

"Are you calling me flighty? Need I remind you that it was I who scored higher than you on our OWLs?" She was tapping her foot now in frustration. Frankie gave a nervous laugh and placed his hand on her arm in a calming manner.

"Love, I am perfectly aware how intelligent my beautiful girlfriend is. And thanks to the several dozen owls you sent me about your test scores, I am aware of those as well. Sometimes I wonder why you weren't placed in Ravenclaw," he commented.

Frankie knew that her temper was short on both ends. Easy come, easy go. He just had to ride it out.

And just like that it passed. He looked her in the eyes and he watched as she began to crumble emotionally.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Frankie. I'm just a little stressed about this new school year. I don't have a clue as to what I want to do with myself after we leave Hogwarts!"

He watched as she hid her face in her hands in exasperation. Confused, he asked, "Michaela, where on earth is all of this coming from? This is the first I am hearing of any of this from you." Placing his arms around her from behind, he squeezed his emotional girlfriend in a protective manner.

"Does this have anything to do with your cousin living with you? Babies can take a lot out of a person from what I hear." Frankie enquired out of desperation for an answer. He was surprised when she nodded.

"It's not the fact that Jordan is living with us as much as the reason why we have her in our home. The attack this summer…"

He watched as her eyes grew watery. "That could have been any of us, Frankie. I don't know what I would have done if I went to your house and found out you and your family were killed the night before!" Michaela was saying all of this in a loud whisper as if she did not want to share her problems with the other shoppers but she needed him to know about the severity of the situation. Frankie began to take her hand to lead her out of the shop for some privacy.

"Hey, look at me." he ordered her gently, lifting her chin with his thumb and forefinger. She looked at her boyfriend and took a cleansing breath as he continued. "That act, no matter how violent, was a random crime, baby. There was no rhyme or reason as to why Matt's family was chosen by the Death Eaters. Jordan is safe now because, thankfully, she had other family to watch over her." He moved a few strands of hair from the corner of her eyes. "You're right, it could have been any of us but we are together right now, Michaela."

He brought her over to a bench and the two of them sat down. He turned to look at her once again and said, "I love you, Peanut and I would like the opportunity to see where life takes us once everything is settled down a bit. How does that sound?"

Giving a shaky laugh, she asked, "Death Eaters be damned?"

"Death Eaters be damned." He agreed.

Michaela allowed her head to fall onto his shoulder and they sat in peace for a while as the other people walked by. After a while, noticing the time, they said their goodbyes and walked their separate ways home to their awaiting families.

Closing the door quietly behind her, Suzanne tiptoed towards the staircase which led to her bedroom.

_If I'm careful, I can slip into bed and no one will notice I was even gone._ she thought.

"Suzanne, is that you? How was your walk, honey?"

_'Nuts.'_

Suzanne called back to her mother, "Yes mum, I'm home. I think I'm just going to go lay down a bit before dinner, though if that's alright." She did not want her mother to see the box containing her new friend and then have to explain what happened and who Fred was, etcetera.

"That's fine, dear. I'll call you down for dinner when it's ready."

Letting out a breath that she did not know she was holding, Suzanne walked upstairs towards her bedroom. She could smell the pot roast her mother was cooking and, despite it being her favourite meal, she was stuffed. Fred had kept his word and bought her coffee. In fact, he bought her two large coffees and a slice of cheesecake.

"There is never a bad time to have a slice of cheesecake" he had announced as he brought the delicious treat to her from behind. "I know the owner of this place and he said not only is it delicious but it is fresh, despite being a Muggle treat!"

Suzanne only too gladly accepted his sweet gesture and ate with much enthusiasm. This made Fred give a gentle smile and a friendly wink. It was the most fun she had let herself have since before Matt passed away.

_'No, he was killed. __**"Passed away"**__ sounds peaceful. It was not peaceful for him to be attacked by Death Eaters.'_ she corrected herself silently, bringing herself back to reality.

As she sat on her bed to remove her trainers, she glanced to her left. On her nightstand was a framed picture. The faces in it were smiling, each arm in arm with one another. It was taken on the last day of school the previous term before boarding the Hogwarts Express. The photo found her standing alongside Matt, laughing as if they hadn't a care in the world. Their close friends were there with them, some making faces at the obvlivious couple. Looking at the picture gave Suzanne a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_School starts next week. I have to face my friends again.  
The whispers of people in the halls.  
The stares of the other students.  
The looks of pity from the faculty._

Slowly laying herself on the bed, she curled herself into a tight ball and closed her eyes. She knew this final year at school would be difficult without her boyfriend there to love and protect her. He had almost become a crutch for her, having been best friends since birth as they were. They were practically betrothed! Her best friend aside from Matt had been his brother who, as she came to find out, graduated the same year Fred and George had played their final prank on Professor Umbridge before fleeing the school and their life as students there. She had other friends as was evident from the pictures scattered on her walls but those two were the ones she trusted the most.

Suzanne looked over to the picture of her friends and pleaded with herself while closing her eyes, "I've got to make it through my final year." The picture was in her hands now as she started through it, lost in thought.

"It would be a disgrace to his memory if I just let the grief take over, right?"

She was reminded of the fact that she was thinking out loud when her mother answered, "Honey I think he would love you no matter what you did. I'm not saying to leave school by any means because I think staying would do you good. I'm just saying that you shouldn't hide inside yourself all year. You need some air and I think today's trip to Diagon Alley was a fabulous idea."

She sat next to her daughter and ran her finger through the strands of strawberry blonde hair that had fallen in her face. Suzanne felt her emotions surfacing once more. She was trying to fight the urge to cry since she had done so much of it since the incident.

Fred Weasley walked towards the back door of his parent's house preparing for what would greet him when he entered. Having a house full of relatives had its advantages but it also had several disadvantages and Suzanne had nailed one right on the head during their meeting earlier that day.

They were nosy; No privacy whatsoever, especially from his twin brother. Most days they were attached at the hip but when they had down time it was appreciated and used wisely. George knew that and took full advantage of any opportunity to tear the mickey out of his brother as that is what Fred would have done in the same position.

_Tonight_, thought Fred, _would be one of those nights._He had to face it. He had just spent several hours with a person of the female persuasion. It was not unheard of but all the same, he did, in fact, spend time with a _girl_. Admitting defeat, Fred took a deep breath and turned the handle of the door with his hand.

He was pleasantly surprised to find the kitchen empty. There were some leftover slices of ham and vegetables to go with them accompanied by a note from his mother to either use a heating spell or make a sandwich with it. He grabbed a few slices of the meat in his hand and began to eat them directly off of the plate.

"Mum would kill you if she saw you eating with your fingers." said a voice from what sounded like the bottom of the stairs. He turned around to face his youngest brother.

"Well, then, Ronnikins. I would suggest that you keep quiet about this so that mum doesn't find out." Fred said this while visibly palming his wand through his pocket in a threatening manner, all the while smiling sweetly.

Ron scoffed at the statement. "I suggest you be nice to me or I won't tell you what items George charmed in your room while you were on your date tonight."

Fred's stomach turned after hearing this. He knew this news shouldn't have surprised him but it did, briefly, throw him for a loop.

"That sneaky little slime ball…" Fred said while thinking it more to himself and then quickly added, "It wasn't a date, by the way. Did you see who she was?"

Ron shook his head. "She looked a little familiar but I couldn't quite put my finger on it."

Hearing this gave Fred a sense of calm. His twin brother may have been prepared to give him a hard time about his evening but he did not share with anyone who his companion was for the evening. It was a nice gesture on his brother's part. He mentally reminded himself to thank George for not making a mockery out of her and once again looked in the direction of the boy in front of him.

"Ron, do you remember that Death Eater attack this summer? The kid who went to Hogwarts… Matt something —or — other…"

"MacDugall," finished Ron.

Fred nodded in realization. "Yeah. Well, the girl I took out for a coffee tonight was his girlfriend. "

Ron's mouth fell open in shock of what was just said but Fred continued, "Now can you understand why this was not a date? I wanted to apologise for not only running into her in the shop but also for being insensitive about what had happened to her. That was why I asked her to join me for a coffee break. Turns out, she really needed someone to just unload everything to."

Ron glanced over his shoulder as George joined them at the bottom of the stairs. Fred's twin said to him in complete seriousness, "Be careful, mate. A girl with baggage is just asking for trouble. It screams out _rebound relationship_ and those are never pretty."

Fred shook his head quickly and put his hands up in a defensive manner, "No, way George. I'm not looking for a relationship with her. It's like she said earlier, 'One can never have too many friends.' The vibe I got from our chat this evening was she was able to enjoy herself because I wasn't coddling her and treating her like a breakable thing. I kept her laughing and I think it helped… at least for a bit."

George and Ron exchanged glances between each other and shrugged. George forced a final comment on the situation. "Look, let me just say this and I will leave you alone. You and I have most everything in common but I will admit that you are a tad bit more sensitive when it comes to people in distress. Just be careful. You say you don't want anything more than a friendship with her but the last time you got hurt it was thanks to a pair of pretty green eyes and pouty lips."

With that, George turned around but not before commenting, "You might want to take a shower so you don't have Suzanne's perfume lingering on you when mum comes home."

Fred bent into his shirt to smell it and Ron approached him and spoke softly, watching George walk up the stairs. "You might want to consider skipping the shower for tonight if you want to keep your hair in its original colour. It might just be easier if you just showered at Headquarters or something, actually." He motioned in the general direction of the upstairs area cautiously.

"Good idea, Ron. Thanks for the heads up. I need some time alone to think anyways." He ruffled Ron's unkempt red hair (because, despite the advice, he loved to get Ron riled up!) and exited the house, Apparating once he was in the backyard.

Once he saw that his brother had left, Ron ran back upstairs and opened the bedroom door to the twin's room.

Smirking at George, Ron said simply, "He bought it."


End file.
